Wire-stretcher.



No. 804,146. PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905.

W. T. MARTIN. WIRE STRBTCHER.

APPLICATION FILED .TUNE 30, 1905.

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Witnesses y 77. Mii: I C71/ I /lfVM/Q 3? Mk s z I L Y ktouwyg UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. MARTIN, OFSUMMERFIELD, ALABAMA.

WIRE-STRETCHE R.

No. 804.146. Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. '7, 1905.

' i Application filed [fune 30, 1905. Serial No. 267,824.

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Summerfield, in the county of Dallas and State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers, and more particularly to that type wherein a fence-post is employed as a fulcrum for a lever, one end of which is provided with a hook which is adapted to engage the wire in order to stretch same.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which will be very effective in operation, simple and durable in construction, and which can be manufactured at comparatively small cost.

To this end it consists, essentially, of a lever having a hooli at one end, a portion of the lever adjacent the hook being formed of two spaced members.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a top plan view of my improved form of wire-stretcher. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of same.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

I`hewire-stretcher is preferably formed out of a single metal rod, which is about twice the length of the iinished tool and is doubled upon itself at its middle point 1. The ends of the rod are welded together at 2 and drawn out and bent so as to form a hook 3, which is preferably formed with a V-shaped throat, so

as to tightly engage the wire and prevent any slipping thereof. The portions of the rod aol- The portions of the rod adjacent the bend 1 are held closely together at 5, so as to form a handle for the operator, but are preferably not welded. If desirable, they may be wrapped with wire or other suitable material at 6 in order to form a more rigid construction. It will be observed that the end of the hook 3 is so placed as to cooperate with one of the offset portions formed by the spaced members 4 in order to form a mouth 7, which leads into the throat of the hook and tends to prevent any accidental displacement of the wire during the stretching operation.

In order to stretch a loose wire, the operator places himself upon the opposite side of the post from the wire and then places the wire in the hook 3, preferably so that same `will engage with a barb. The stretcher is then pulled around so as to tighten the wire and draw same to the post. In employing the device to stretch plain wire the stretcher is turned through a half-revolution after the wire has been placed in the hook in order to prevent any slipping.

It will thus be understood that I have invented a wire-stretcher which is very eiiicient in operation and which is so light and compact in structure as to enable it to be readily transported from place to place.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- A wire-stretcher comprising a lever formed with a hook at one end, the portion of the lever adjacent the hook consisting of two spaced members, and the end of the hook being adapted to cooperate with the offset portion of one of the spaced members in order to form a throat leading into the hook and prevent any accidental displacement of the wire during the stretching operation.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. MARTIN. 

